Monie Love
Simone Johnson[1] (born 2 July 1970),[1] better known by her stage name Monie Love, is a British rapper, actress and radio personality from London. Best known for her singles during the late–1980s through the 1990s, Monie Love currently serves as a radio personality for urban adult contemporary station KISS 104.1 WALR-FM in Atlanta, Georgia. Love is a two-time Grammy Award nominee, making her the first British female hip hop artist to hold that distinction.[2]
Monie Love | |
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Birth name | Simone Johnson[1] |
Also known as |
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Born | [1] Battersea, London, England | 2 July 1970
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1987–present |
Labels |
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Associated acts | |
Website | twitter |
Career
Music
Love's debut album, Down to Earth was released on 6 November 1990, spawned the singles "Monie in the Middle" (a track dealing with a woman's right to determine what she wants out of a relationship) and "It's a Shame (My Sister)" (which sampled the (Detroit) Spinners' "It's a Shame", written for the band by Stevie Wonder) and featured house-music vocalist and then-labelmate Ultra Naté. The album reached No. 26 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[3] Love also appears on the song titled "United" from Inner City's third album, Praise.
Love was featured on the LA Reid & Babyface remix of Whitney Houston's R&B hit "My Name Is Not Susan" in 1991, and appeared in the music video alongside Houston. Love's 1992 single "Full-Term Love", from the Class Act movie soundtrack, reached No. 7 on the Hot Hip-Hop Singles chart.[4] Love collaborated with Marley Marl on her second album, In a Word or 2 (1993), which featured the Prince-produced single "Born To B.R.E.E.D." (which reached No. 1 on the Hot Dance Music chart and No. 7 on the Hot Rap Singles chart), as well as a re-release of "Full-Term Love".[4] The same year, Prince asked her to write lyrics for a few songs on a side-project, Carmen Electra's eponymous album, Carmen Electra. Love's last release as lead artist was the single "Slice of da Pie" in 2000. In 2013, she was featured on the track "Sometimes" by Ras Kass, from his album Barmageddon.
Radio
From 2004 until the week of 11 December 2006, Love was the morning drive host on Philadelphia's WPHI-FM 100.3. 22 December 2006 edition of the Philadelphia Daily News confirmed that Love left WPHI-FM on amicable terms after contract negotiations stalled.[5] Love's departure from WPHI followed soon after her December 2006 interview with Young Jeezy, where the two argued over whether hip hop is dead.[6] Love is also an official MySpace.com DJ, according to her Myspace page. Love resides in Indianapolis, Indiana and is a single mother to four children.[7] She has a radio show on XM Satellite Radio called Ladies First Radio with Monie Love. It airs Thursdays 6 PM ET and Sundays 8 PM ET. In 2015, Love became a DJ on Philadelphia's Boom 107.9, hosting a morning show from 6 am to 10 am. In 2016, Love co-hosted with Ed Lover on the Ed Lover Morning Show for "Boom 92" KROI in Houston, Texas. In May 2019, she began hosting afternoons at "KISS 104.1" WALR in Atlanta.[8]
Personal life
Born in England, Love moved to the United States; settling in Philadelphia in 1987. Love has four children; Charlena (born 1991), Caleigh (born 1997), Nekhi (born 2003) and Laci (born 2008).[9][10] Love is the biological sister of English musician Dave Angel.
Discography
Albums
Title | Album details | Chart positions | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [11] | US R&B /HH [12] |
AUT [13] | SWI [14] | UK [15] | ||||||||||
Down to Earth |
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109 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 30 | ||||||||
In a Word or 2 |
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— | 75 | — | — | — | ||||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Hot 100 [16] |
US Dance [17] |
US R&B [18] |
US Rap [19] |
AUS [20] |
AUT | BEL (FLA) |
FRA | GER [21] |
IRE | NED | NZ | SWI | UK [22] | |||
1988 | "I Can Do This" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | 37 | Down to Earth |
1989 | "Grandpa's Party" | — | — | — | — | 93 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 51 | 33 | — | 16 | |
1990 | "Monie in the Middle" | — | 7 | 28 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 46 | |
"It's a Shame (My Sister)" (featuring True Image) |
26 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 90 | 12 | 24 | 50 | 11 | — | 9 | 17 | 6 | 12 | ||
"Down 2 Earth" | — | — | 75 | 30 | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | 29 | — | 15 | 31 | ||
1991 | "Ring My Bell" (featuring Adeva) |
— | — | — | — | 35 | — | 44 | — | 25 | — | 15 | 13 | 8 | 20 | |
"Work It Out" (US only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Boyz n the Hood OST | |
1992 | "Full Term Love" | 96 | — | 47 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 58 | — | — | 34 | In a Word or 2 |
1993 | "Born 2 B.R.E.E.D." | 89 | 1 | 56 | 7 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 35 | 18 | |
"In a Word or 2" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | ||
"Never Give Up" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 41 | ||
2000 | "Slice of da Pie" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | Non-album single |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
Featured singles
- "Ladies First" (Queen Latifah featuring Monie Love)
- "My Name Is Not Susan" (Whitney Houston featuring Monie Love) – My Name Is Not Susan (Power Radio Mix With Rap)
References
- Room, Adrian (10 January 2014). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. McFarland. p. 296. ISBN 9780786457632 – via Google Books.
- Henderson, Alex. "Down To Earth Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- Henderson, Alex. "In A Word Or 2 Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- Conrad, Laurie T. (22 December 2006). "Tattle: No mo' Monie". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved 25 December 2006.
- Bolden, Janee (22 December 2006). "Monie Love Gets None, Officially Off The Air in Philly". SOHH.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- Osorio, Kim (13 August 2014). "Monie Love Still in the Middle...Of Motherhood". Madamenoire.com. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- Ho, Rodney. "Hip-hop legend Monie Love takes over Kiss 104.1 afternoon slot". Ajc.com. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- "Ladies First: Monie Love Discusses Being A Mother In Hip-Hop (Audio)". Ambrosiaforheads.com. 12 May 2019.
- "Hip Hop Moms". Essence.com. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- "Monie Love Chart History". Billboard 200. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- "Monie Love Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- "Monie Love in Ö3 Austria Top 40". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- "Monie Love in Swiss Hitparade". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- "Monie Love in UK Albums Chart". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- "MC Lyte - US Hot 100". billboard.com. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- "Monie Love – US Dance Club Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- "Monie Love – US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- "MC Lyte - US Hot Rap Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > Monie Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- Top 100 peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- "Grandpa's Party": "Chartifacts – Week Ending: 10 February 1991 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 55)". imgur.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- "Monie Love – German Chart". charts.de. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 357. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.